194 DESCRIPTION OF A HAWK. 



The short white feathers, growing anteriorly and laterally on the upper 

 portions of the tarsi, are also a pure white. 



The under tail coverts are four in number on each side ; each of the three 

 lower feathers having two dusky bars, the lower bar very broad, and the 

 upper one narrow. The remaining upper feather has only one narrow bar. 

 The shafts of all partake of the same colour for the width of the bar, but 

 they are white above and below. 



The tail is five inches long ; and its general colour, on its upper surface, is 

 cinereous; the two outer feathers having four pale rufous bars, the longest bar 

 not being so distinct as the other three. 



The second outer feathers have five bars, but they are imperfect. On the 

 outer web, the four upper incomplete bars are in union with the shaft, but the 

 fifth is not so ; none of these, however, occupy more than one-half of the 

 web transversely. 



The remaining eight feathers have each five bars, but are less distinct than 

 those already described; and the two centre ones are much less so. 



On the upper surface of the tail, the shafts are brown ; but they become 

 gradually more pale towards the tip, and are entirely white on the under 

 surface. 



The two outer tail feathers are an inch shorter than the centre ones. The 

 two second are half an inch shorter ; the remaining eight are equal in length. 

 The tip of each tail feather, for a quarter of an inch, is cinereous ; thence to 

 the first bar, the feather is of a dark colour. 



The general colour on the under surface of the tail is cinereous, patched 

 with pale rufous. The bars are less distinct than on the upper surface, and 

 the upper portion of the outer webs of the two outer feathers are white, but 

 gradually increase to cinereous towards their tips. The dorsal feathers 

 generally are cinereous, and triflingly tinted with rufous on their tips. The 

 wings are an inch and an eighth shorter than the tail. From the anterior 

 bend of the wing to its tip, the length is 7|in. The length from the point of 

 the upper mandible to the tip of the tail, is 10|in. 



The upper tail coverts are speckled with cinereous and pale rufous, having 

 a dark brown longitudinal central stripe. Covering the coverts on each side 

 is a single white feather. 



The whole of the primaries and nine of the secondaries in the wing, are a 

 pure white. The remaining nvimber of the secondaries are cinereous, tipped 

 with rufous. The first quill feather has an abrupt notch on the inner web, 

 about an inch and a half from the tip. The second quill is gradually narrowed 

 downwards on its outer web, commencing to diminish in width two inches 

 and a half from its tip, and has an abrupt notch on its inner web, an inch 

 and a quarter from its tip. The third quill begins to narrow two inches and 

 a half from the tip on its outer web, and its diminution in width is veiy 

 gmdual. 



